What defines the quality of a match?

Surely, there are some basic requirements, like constant action, clean technique and / or a gritty show of heart – but there are also more intangible features that are also in play – what is at stake in the match? Is it a Worlds final? An absolute championship? 

All of the matches nominated for this award demonstrate those qualities, but in the end, after all the votes were cast, the winner was determined by the fans to be Leandro Lo vs Keenan Cornelius from the 2018 Pan Championships.

And we cannot deny the appeal of the match.

For starters– there was already some heat behind the match– Leandro had beaten Keenan twice at the 2016 World Championships (weight and absolute) and hadn’t faced the Atos representative since.  Keenan then spent much of 2017 sidelined due to injury and recovery, only to come back at the end of the year and early 2018 with a vengeance. 

The 2018 Pan Championship was Leandro’s first major tournament of 2018 – he missed out on the European championships earlier that year,  which an event that Keenan looked absolutely flawless during his path to gold in Lisbon. 

Though they were not in the same weight class, the duo entered the absolute division at Pans, and on this day, the gods of bracketology were kind, setting up the rematch that we all wanted to see.

In the end, Leandro was able to take Keenan to the task, hitting an impressive double-leg takedown to seal the win and earn his place in the absolute final.

Watch Leandro vs Keenan Cornelius – 2018 Pan Championship